The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare

Title: The Wallflower Wager (Girl meets Duke #3)

Author: Tessa Dare

Publisher: Avon 2019

Genre: Romance

Pages: 369

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Seasonal TBR

Wealthy and ruthless, Gabriel Duke clawed his way from the lowliest slums to the pinnacle of high society—and now he wants to get even.

Loyal and passionate, Lady Penelope Campion never met a lost or wounded creature she wouldn’t take into her home and her heart.

When her imposing—and attractive—new neighbor demands she clear out the rescued animals, Penny sets him a challenge. She will part with her precious charges, if he can find them loving homes.

Done, Gabriel says. How hard can it be to find homes for a few kittens?

And a two-legged dog.

And a foul-mouthed parrot.

And a goat, an otter, a hedgehog . . .

Easier said than done, for a cold-blooded bastard who wouldn’t know a loving home from a workhouse. Soon he’s covered in cat hair, knee-deep in adorable, and bewitched by a shyly pretty spinster who defies his every attempt to resist. Now she’s set her mind and heart on saving him.

Not if he ruins her first.

I must admit that Penny is not my favorite of the quartet of ladies featured in this series. I just am not charmed by her antics. But I must say that Gabriel is one of my favorites. I loved his rags to riches story and his lost boy personality. I guess he needed someone like Penny to bring him out into the open. I loved their romance bits and the appearances by the side characters (especially the banter between Ash and Chase). I didn’t necessarily love Penny’s narration parts. Still, it was a very enjoyable Regency romance. Now I have to wait for the last book in this quartet.

Girl Meets Duke

• #1 The Duchess Deal

• #2 The Governess Game

• #3 The Wallflower Wager

• #4 The Bride Bet

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Governess Game by Tessa Dare

Title: The Governess Game (Girl meets Duke #2)

Author: Tessa Dare

Publisher: Avon 2018

Genre: Romance

Pages: 385

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

The accidental governess

After her livelihood slips through her fingers, Alexandra Mountbatten takes on an impossible post: transforming a pair of wild orphans into proper young ladies. However, the girls don’t need discipline. They need a loving home. Try telling that to their guardian, Chase Reynaud: duke’s heir in the streets and devil in the sheets. The ladies of London have tried—and failed—to make him settle down. Somehow, Alexandra must reach his heart . . . without risking her own.

The infamous rake

Like any self-respecting libertine, Chase lives by one rule: no attachments. When a stubborn little governess tries to reform him, he decides to give her an education—in pleasure. That should prove he can’t be tamed. But Alexandra is more than he bargained for: clever, perceptive, passionate. She refuses to see him as a lost cause. Soon the walls around Chase’s heart are crumbling . . . and he’s in danger of falling, hard.

Another fun Regency romance. I was totally invested in Alex and Chase right from the start. I loved their dynamic and their banter. I especially loved the inclusion of Daisy and Rosamund as very important characters to the story. I love how Tessa Dare writes banter between characters. That is really what keeps me coming back time and again to this genre. The steamy scenes were not anything particularly different or new, but they definitely got the job done. I can’t wait to pick up the next book in this series.

Girl Meets Duke

• #1 The Duchess Deal

• #2 The Governess Game

• #3 The Wallflower Wager

• #4 The Bride Bet

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare

Title: The Duchess Deal (Girl meets Duke #1)

Author: Tessa Dare

Publisher: Avon 2017

Genre: Romance

Pages: 385

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

When girl meets Duke, their marriage breaks all the rules…

Since his return from war, the Duke of Ashbury’s to-do list has been short and anything but sweet: brooding, glowering, menacing London ne’er-do-wells by night. Now there’s a new item on the list. He needs an heir—which means he needs a wife. When Emma Gladstone, a vicar’s daughter turned seamstress, appears in his library wearing a wedding gown, he decides on the spot that she’ll do.

His terms are simple:

- They will be husband and wife by night only.

- No lights, no kissing. 

- No questions about his battle scars. 

- Last, and most importantly… Once she’s pregnant with his heir, they need never share a bed again.

But Emma is no pushover. She has a few rules of her own:

- They will have dinner together every evening. 

- With conversation.

- And unlimited teasing.

- Last, and most importantly… Once she’s seen the man beneath the scars, he can’t stop her from falling in love…

After getting about half way through a not great book, I decided to take a break and grab a historical romance. Tessa Dare has been on my list for awhile and I’m so glad I burned through this one. Right away we get a ridiculous premise (but I’m always up for a slightly ridiculous premise), but also some great characters. The banter is really what made this book amazing. I loved every taunt and term of endearment that was volleyed between Emma and Ash. I always love a fallen hero redeemed. This was delightful and was just the break I needed. I will definitely be reading the next one in the series.

Girl Meets Duke

• #1 The Duchess Deal

• #2 The Governess Game

• #3 The Wallflower Wager

• #4 The Bride Bet

Next up on the TBR pile:

How to Catch a Wild Viscount by Tessa Dare

Title: How to Catch a Wild Viscount

Author: Tessa Dare

Publisher: 2014

Genre: Romance

Pages: 105

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

She's on the hunt for a hero...

Luke Trenton, Viscount Merritt, returned from war a changed man. Battle stripped away his civility and brought out his inner beast. There is no charm or tenderness in him now; only dark passions and a hardened soul. He has nothing to offer the starry-eyed, innocent girl who pledged her heart to him four years ago.

But Cecily Hale isn't a girl any longer. She's grown into a woman--one who won't be pushed away. She and Luke are guests at a house party when a local legend captures their friends' imaginations. While the others plunge into the forest on a wild goose...er, stag chase, Cecily's on the hunt for a man. She has only a few moonlit nights to reach the real Luke...the wounded heart she knows still beats inside the war-ravaged body...or she could lose him to the darkness forever.

This short story was one of those free Kindle deals that I had picked up some time ago. I wanted a cute little romance to get me back on track after some heavier books. It’s a cute little story wrapped up in just about 100 pages. We get enough backstory about Luke and Cecily that the story makes sense. We get a fun gothic myth to push the two characters together. It was fun, although I really would have liked to see more from the side characters.

Next up on the TBR pile: